Leg support for wheel chairs



p 1952 I c. c. GATES, JR 2,609,864

LEG SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Filed July 5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1Zmnentor CHARLES c. GATES JR Gltornegs Sept. 9, 1952 c c, GATES, JR2,609,864

LEG SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Filed July :5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2Zhwentor CHARLES c. GATES JR.

attorneys Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE a LEG-SUPPORT FOR WHEEL CHAIRS Charles 0. Gates, In, Denver, 0010.

Application July 3, 1950, Serial No. 111,882 14 Claims, (01. 15 -165.)

This invention relates. to leg restsfor chairs, andgmore particularlyto. invalids." wheel chairs. One of the objects of the invention is. to.provide a single leg rest. for a chair which may be removably attachedthereto in two. different po-.- sitions for supporting either leg-of:the invalid.

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the position of therest in a direction to. or from the chair seat and also in a verticalplane relative thereto.

Another object is to.-provide an adjustment of the foregoing typewherein the rest. is S8182-- scopically supported by the chair...

Another object is to provide a rest. for wheel chairs of the foldingtype whiclr'permits. the folding thereof without removing the restthere-.- from.

Another object. is to provide a rest. for wheel chairs of the.nonefolding type.

A further object is to. provide a rest which may be readily attached to.conventional wheel. chairs.

Another object is to provide a foldable rest. to accommodate both legsof the invalid.

Further objects, advantages, and salientv fea. tures will become moreapparent. from a con, sideration of the description to -follow, theappended claims, and the accompanying drawing, in which: i

Figure 1 is a perspective of a conventional folding type wheel chair towhich: one form of the subject of the invention has been applied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged iragmentaryfront elevation thereof in thedirection of arrow 2., Figure 1,, with the. rest removed;

ure 3 is. a o tom an V ew o t eaoh i seat as viewed in the direction; ofarrow- 3, Figure 1;

Figure t is an enlarged section takenon line 3 3, Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar section taken on line t-fi, Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 8-8, Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of a,

. 2 plan of the chair of Figure 9' taken in the direction of arrow Ill,Figure 9;

Figure 11 is an exploded isometric view of an alternative form of lerest which may be employed with the chairs of Figure 1 or 9;

Figure 12 is a vertical section taken on line l12,--l 2, Figure 11, butwith the parts in assembled relation;

Figure 13- is an isometric view of an alternative form of leg rest whichmay be employed with the chair of Figure 1;

Figure 14 is a foreshortened top plan of an alternative form of leg restwhich may be employed with the chair of Figure 1; and

Figure 15 is aside elevation of an alternative form of leg restadjustment.

Referring in detail to the drawing, and particularly Figures 1 to 3.,the wheel chair is provided with a plurality of tubular members whichcomprise a frame 21, arm rests 212, 22a, back rest 23 supporting drive.wheels 24, 24a, swivel wheels. 25., 2.5a, foldable foot rests 25, 26aand folding seat 21, 21a, the foregoing all being conventional andwell-known in the art. Certain of the frame members are adjustable sothat. the two halves. of the. seat 21, 2.1a may be folded relatively inthe direction of arrows. 28, 23a, Figure 2,.sothat the bottomsurfacesthereof .may be disposed in substantially parallel juxtaposedrelation, the dotted line position of Figure 2 illustrating the seathalves in partially folded relation. Since the particular details fforefiecting folding of the seat and remainder of the chair-form no part ofthe invention per se, these details have been omitted in the interestof' clarity.

The chair just .describeclis. normally provided with hinges (not shown)secured to the lower surfaces of the seat halves 2i, Z'lawhich permitthe pivotal movement illustrated in Figure 2. When the subject or theinvention is to be applied as an attachmentto the conyentionalchai-rthese hinges are removed replaced with a. special forth of hinge andtube construction. This construction compr isesa tube .35 (see Fig ure3) having hinges secured. thereto near its ends. Each hinge isprovidedwithl a member 3i having a pair oi tubular portions 32,- whichsurround tube 39, member 3i; being secured any; suitable manner to seathialf 2%,. A .m.8mr oer 34, having a tubular portion disposed; betweenportions 32, S3; similarly. surrounds tube 30', member M being similarlysecured to seat half' 21. Tube 30 is prevented fremaxial movescopewithin two of the three tubes secured to When the rest is em the bottomof the seat. ployed to support the right leg, tubes 41], 40a aredisposed, respectively, within tubes 36, 30 and when employed to supportthe left leg, tubes 40,

40a are disposed, respectively, within tubes 39,

36a. A suitable flexible sling member 42 of canvas, webbing, or thelike, extends between tubes 40, 40a and forms a cradle in which a legmay be supported.

The leg support just described is adjustable only in a direction to andfrom the seat. If the refinement of an adjustment in a vertical plane isalso desired tubes 40, 46a may be provided with an adjustment as shownin Figures 7 and 8 wherein each of the tubes has interposed therein,preferably adjacent the rear edge of flexible member 42, a pair ofplates 43, 44, each being secured to one of the adjacent ends of thetubes, and secured together by a bolt and wingscrew 45, or the like. Thefaces of the disks may be serrated if desired to improve their clampingcharacteristics. It will be apparent that with this construction tubes40, 40a still adjustably telescope within the tubes secured to the seatand the portion ofthe leg support carrying flexible member 42 may beadjusted in a vertical plane,-

swinging about the axes of disks 43, 44.

In the construction so far described it will be apparent that the threetube sup-port on the seat may be employed regardless of whether or notthe seat is hinged along its central longitudinal axis. If the seat isof the non-foldable padded type, the tube 30 with its associated hingesmay be omitted and in lieu thereof a tube such as 36 or 36a beemployedin its stead. In some seat constructions, however, such as those whichemploy a flexible sling material secured to the chair along the sideedges of the seat, similar to the construction of member 42, the centersupport tube may preferably be omitted and only two side tubes employed.In Figures 9 and 10 such sling seat construction I2! is illustratedwherein tubes i345, [36a are analogous to tubes 36, 36a and are securedto the chair frame or seat in any suitable manner. Tubes l 40, MM aresubstantially the same as tubes 40, 40a and the same distance apart, buttube I40a is provided with a lateral offset portion I401) which connectsto a portion [400 which is parallel to tube I40. The leg support of thisconstruction may be employed for either the left or right le by merelyremoving it from its support tubes, rotating it 180 degrees about itslongitudinal axis, and reinserting it in the support tubes.

The vertical adjustment means of Figures 7 and 8 may be employed withtubes I40, Vita in the same manner previously described, theseadjustments being disposed between sling M2 and the chair seat.

If the chair of Figures 9 and 10 be of the folding type which folds in amanner similar to the chair of Figures 1 and 2. it will be apparent thatlongitudinal axis.

the 1eg rest I40, I40a, etc., must be removed from tubes I36, l36a whenfolding is'desired. To obviate the necessity of removing the leg supportwhen the chair is folded, the construction shown in Figures 11 and 12may be employed. In this construction a U-shaped member 240d is weldedor otherwise secured to an end of tube 240a and is apertured near oneend to permit tube end 2402 to pass therethrough andtelescope with tube2404a, as best shown in Figure 12. The legs of U-shap'ed member 240d maybe slightly resilient so that tube 240?) may be releasably supportedthereby. When it is desired to fold the chair, tube 24llb'is withdrawnfrom its connection with U-shaped member 240d, as shown in Figure 11,after which the chair may be folded about its It will be apparent, also,that the support just described may be used in the construction shown inFigures 1 and 2, in which. case tube 30 may be omitted.

InFigure 14 is shown a form of double leg;

rest which may be employed in the construction shown inFigures'l. and'2,this rest comprising; tubes 340, 340a, connected by bight portion 34I,

and tubes 340b, 3400, similarly connected. Tube" 3460 is provided withatubular portion 340dhingedly connecting it .totube 340d so that the twoframe halves may pivot about the longitudinal axis of tube 3413a. Asling 342, similar to Sling I42, extends across the two frames and.provides a support for. both legs. It will be apparent that" when tubes3411', 1340a; 34Gb are supported by tubes 36a, 30, 36 of Figures 1 and2, the leg support may be adjusted to and from the chair seat a'ndthechair may be folded as shown in Figure 2 without removing the leg restfrom its support tubes on the chair seat.

In Figure 13 is shown another leg rest which may be employed withFigures 1 and 2, this rest comprising tubular members 440, 449a whichhave offset portions 4401). This construction permits leg rest portion442 to be disposed above the chair seat or below same, depending uponthe particular manner in which it is inserted in the seat support tubes,it being apparent that it has two positions 180.degrees apart and thetwo limits of adjustment'are a vertical distance apart equal to twicethe amount of offset effected by portions 44Gb. It will be apparent thatthe adjustments of Figures 7 and 8 may also be employed inthis-construction or in any of the other constructions previouslydescribed.

In Figure 15 another type of vertical adjustment is disclosed whereinthe support tubes, one

of which is shown at 436, are pivotally connected at their rear ends bya pivotal connection 50 to the chair and are adjustable in a verticalplane, being secured in a desired position by a slotted member 5|,secured to the chair, and a wing nut 52, or the like, carried by thetube and clampable to member 5|.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is: a r

1. In a chair having a seat foldable about a longitudinal vaxissubstantially centrally thereof, a tubular membe'rdisposed below theseat coaxial with said axis, a pair of tubular members disposed belowthe seat, on opposite sides of the first named tubular member, andequidistant and parallel thereto, an elongated U-shaped frame havingparallel leg portions adapted to telescope, selectively, in the firstnamed tubular member, and one of said pair of members, whereby the framemay be disposed on either side ofthe longitudinal axis of the What ischair to support either the right or left leg of a user, and meansextending between portions of the legs of the frame adapted to engageand support a leg of the user.

2. In a chair in accordance with claim 1 including means for adjustingsaid frame in a vertical plane.

3. In a chair having a seat, a pair of parallel tubular members disposedbelow the seat adjacent side edges thereof, a U-shaped frame havingparallel leg portions adapted to extend forwardly of the seat to form aleg support of substantially less Width than the seat and adapted tosupport only one leg of a user, the free ends of said leg portions beingparallel and adapted to telescope within said tubular members, in twopositions 180 degrees apart around a longitudinal axis of the U-shapedframe, whereby the U-shaped frame is adapted to selectively supporteither leg of the user.

4. In a chair in accordance with claim 3 including means for adjustingat least a portion of said U-shaped member in a vertical plane wherebyits vertical position relative to the seat may be varied.

5. A chair having a seat, a pair of tubes secured to the chair in spacedparallel relation adjacent the seat and parallel to its longitudinalaxis, an elongated leg supporting frame comprising a pair of parallelmembers having portions telescopically disposed within the tubes, and asling extending between other portions of the members adapted to supporta leg of the user, the last named portions being spaced apart a distanceapproximately equal to one-half the width of the seat transversely ofsaid longitudinal axis.

6. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein said last named portionsare disposed in a plane spaced from a plane passing through the firstnamed portions.

7. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein one of the first namedportions is detachably connected to one of the last named portions.

8. A chair in accordance with claim 5 wherein the first named portionsare spaced apart a distance greater than the last named portions.

9. A chair in accordance with claim 5 including means interposed betweenthe first and last named portions for angularly adjusting said first andlast portions about a horizontal axis, whereby the sling may be raisedor lowered relative to the seat.

10. A chair having a seat, a pair of tubes secured to the seat adjacentand below its longitudinal edges, one at each edge, a third tube securedto the seat midway between and parallel to said pair of tubes, anelongated leg supporting frame having at least two parallel membershaving portions adapted to be telescopically disposed within two of thethree tubes, and means extending between other portions of the membersadapted to support a leg of the user.

11. A chair in accordance with claim 10 wherein the leg supporting frameis provided with three parallel tubular members, each having a portionadapted to be telescopically disposed within one of the respective threetubes.

12. A chair in accordance with claim 10 including means for angularlyadjusting said tubes about a horizontal axis, whereby said otherportions may be adjusted in a vertical plane.

13. In a chair having a seat, an elongated device having a legsupporting portion of a width substantially less than the width of theseat, adapted to support only one leg of the user of the chair, meanscomprising at least two spaced tubular members on the chair beneath theseat thereof telescopically engaging transversely spaced portions of theleg supporting device, adapted to support same in a position wherein theleg supporting portion forms a forward extension of .the chair seat,said means and device being so constructed that said device may bebodily removed from the chair and disposed in two alternativepredetermined positions wherein the leg supporting portion is disposedon either side of and substantially equidistant from a longitudinal axisof the seat whereby it may support either a right or a left leg.

14. In a chair defined by claim 13 wherein said means beneath the seatincludes three tubular members, one being disposed substantial- 1y at alongitudinal central axis of the chair, and below the seat, and theother two being disposed at opposite sides of the first named tubularmember and below the seat, parallel and equidistant from the first namedtubular member.

CHARLES C. GATES, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 961,715 Christiansen July 14,1910 1,085,176 Smith Jan. 27, 1914 2,403,263 Collins July 2, 1946-2,480,300 Luketa Aug. 30, 1949 2,522,729 Travis Sept. 19, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 296,369 Germany Feb. 6, 1917

